Map of mystery
by JbearInChief
Summary: 11 year-old twins Fred and George have just knicked an ancient bit of parchment from Filch's office. Their instincts tell them they've hit the jackpot, but how can they crack the code of this mysterious item? A Marauder's Map one-shot. Read and Review!


**Hey Ya'll! JBearInChief here. This is my 10th story (nice round number for you fellow OCD people out there). This one takes a bit of a different turn than the stories I've written in the past, in that it's not a video-game fic. BUT, being a nerd, I'm a Harry Potter Nerd. Of course, the Marauder's Map is one of the most interesting items in this entire fascinating universe, so I thought I would write a story about how Fred and George unlock its secrets! Hope you enjoy. As always, reviews are the sustenance of life for lowly fic writers! :D **

Fred and George sat on the top of Fred's 4-poster bed, staring intently at the piece of blank, ancient parchment.

However, this wasn't just any piece of old parchment- it was a piece of parchment captured from Filch's "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous" cabinet. A cabinet with a label like that begged to be knicked from- like a treasure chest sitting partially open, revealing the alluring mountain of gold, jewels and riches inside beseeching to be plundered.

In that moment, the twins resigned that they had to see inside that cabinet. Therefore, when a window's breeze blew Filch's door open just an inch or so as he was lecturing Fred, George seized the opportunity to take a dungbomb and fling it as hard as he could- clearing through the small crack in the door with impeccable aim and causing the bomb to land several meters down the hallway, going off with a foul racket and a fouler smell.

"WHO'S OUT THERE?" Filch yelled maniacally, "It'd better not be that friend of yours'! I'll get you, student!" Filch screeched as he headed towards the door.

"Stay here!" Filch growled towards Fred and George.

When Filch left the room, Fred and George stared after him for a moment, in utter disbelief that Filch would ever leave them alone.

Once this monumental moment sunk in, Fred jumped onto his feet and yanked open the cabinet. Inside was some stuff he'd seen before- decks of exploding snap, a sneak-o-scope, trick wands, and things of that nature. However, this curious piece of blank parchment stared up at him, mysterious and almost menacing in its simplicity. Fred seized it quickly and turned to George.

"LET'S BOOK IT!" he said. Both boys tore down the hallway, ducking Filch who was running around looking for the fake culprit of the dungbomb attack. They immediately ran towards their tower, dove through the portrait hole and practically flew up the stairs until they reached their own room.

They spent the first 45 minutes examining it carefully, and in turns. They looked for any discernible markings, or even suspicious creases that would give them any clue to what this parchment was. Without finding anything physically enlightening, the twins slumped onto a bed, looking down at it, brows furrowed.

"What do you think it does?" George asked his twin.

"Dunno. Reckon something good," Fred replied dreamily.

"Or, Filch is just a dumb squib with no clue what it does." George countered, "Could be literally nothing."

However, at that moment the parchment flicked the faintest bit of ink upon the front of the folded up mass. The twin both stared intently back at it.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Fred said.

"So how to you get it to work?" George asked.

Fred shrugged, then feebly raised his wand and touched it to the paper.

"Show yourself!" Fred tried.

The paper began filling with ink, as if an invisible quill were writing on it. Fred's face lit up, as letters spelled out a secret message:

** "_Mister Moony thinks that Master Weasley and Master Weasley should try another spell." _**

** "_Mister Padfoot would agree."_**

** "_Mister Prongs, personally, is shocked that the Weasleys got into Hogwarts with that kind of lame spell." _**

** "_Mister Wormtail agrees with Mister Prongs." _**

"Stupid ruddy thing!" Fred said angrily, pushing it away from him.

"It says to try another spell," George said more pensively before tapping his own wand to the parchment and saying, "Erm…uhm…hmmm….OOH- how about this:

_"Parchment of mystery reveal yourself,"_ George began loftily,

_"because it took a lot of damn effort to nick you from Filch's shelf!"_

The paper began filling with text again.

** "_Mister Padfoot would like to say: Honestly?" _**

** "_Mister Moony thinks that was quite embarrassing." _**

** "_Mister Prongs is still amazed the Weasley twins got into Hogwarts. Gryffindor no less!" _**

** "_Mister Wormtail wonders if this spell was an original invention, because clearly with that innovation, they could give us a run for our money!" _**

"Stupid thing!" Fred roared, getting up from his bed, "I solemnly swear if that thing insults us again I'm binning it. Or better yet-"

"WAIT!" George said, cutting across him while pointing to the paper.

The paper's text flashed instantly something different.

** "_Getting warmer…."_** It said simply.

"What did you say?" George said eagerly.

"I said that if that piece of rubbish insults me again I'm gonna shove it up Filch's rear end."

The text began to fade, indicating that they were losing it.

"No, no. What EXACTLY did you say just now?" George demanded.

"Uhm…" Fred said, remembering a second ago before reciting, "I solemnly swear if that thing-"

"THAT'S it!" George cried, looking at the paper, leaning closer and saying, "I solemnly swear…"

The "getting warmer…" text was now so dark it was almost burned into the page.

"Uhmm…." George said, "That….I want you to reveal yourself?"

The text went away completely, defeated.

"UGH!" George said, "How annoying!"

"Let's just take a break from this thing!" Fred said, slumping down against one of the posts of his bed.

George nodded in agreement, slightly pushing the parchment from himself and slumping against another post.

After a moment of pondering the parchment, George finally changed the subject.

"So where d'ya reckon Lee went to?" George said, scanning his empty dormitory.

"Well, he knew we had detention with Filch, so I think he probably took the opportunity of Filch being distracted to do something good…." Fred said, deep in wonder as to what their best friend was doing.

"Yeah, but Filch will be roaming the halls looking for us when he realizes that we skived off early." George said, grinning broadly.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Fred laughed, "I can't believe that idiot told us to 'stay here' as he ran off!"

They both laughed for a moment, until George spoke again, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well, whatever Lee is doing, I hope Filch doesn't find him.

Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the entire tower.

"That must be Lee. Whatever he's doing, surely he is up to no good." George chuckled.

Fred was about to relay his beliefs that Lee was a great person but suddenly saw the parchment light up again with life.

** "_Yessss…."_ **It said simply.

"George! It's doing it again!" Fred said, now pulling the parchment towards him.

George looked at it, wide eyed.

"What did you say again?" Fred said.

"That whatever Lee was doing, surely he is up to no good."

At the last part, the parchment lit up again.

"….up to no good…." George muttered, "Up to no good…"

Then they both looked up at each other, and at the exact moment were struck with an epiphany.

"I solemnly swear…" Fred began.

"…that I am up to no good." George finished.

And then the parchment opened up on its own accord, and the ink began spreading across the paper like it was spilled onto there. At the top there was a header:

** "_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs- Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers are proud to present the Marauder's Map." _**

"Marauder's map?" George whispered, as the parchment began to fill with content.

Suddenly it formed into a massive map of the entire Hogwarts grounds. It was overwhelming to see at first, and Fred and George's eyes were moving about the page so fast it seemed as if the small forms were moving. Then after a moment they both gasped.

The figures WERE moving.

They both leaned closer to the paper, their noses inches away as they squinted at the moving figures. They soon realized that the moving figures were everyone in the castle that was moving about the main grounds. People in the common rooms and dormitories of the castle were showed as smudges of names piled on top of one another in massive collections as to not take up too much space on the parchment with the thousands of names. At this time of night, most people were in their dormitories or common rooms, but they could see Dumbledore pacing in his office, Snape messing about in his store room, and Filch still running around the corridors trying to bust the made-up perpetrators he had left them earlier to find.

"WICKED!" They both said in perfect unison.

"But….is it real? Is this what's really happening in the castle right now?" George wondered.

"It seems about right," Fred reasoned, "Filch running around like a madman, Snape ducking into his storeroom to avoid shampooing his greasy hair, and Dumbledore slowly pacing about his study like a loony."

George chuckled and replied, "There's only one day to find out, I suppose."

Fred grinned as they both sprang from the bed, tore downstairs and out of the portrait hole. They explored the hallways and corridors, with the map acting as their guide. They saw Charlie and a Hufflepuff girl names Dinah Bucholzprefect in an empty classroom. Fred and George, sniggering behind their hands pounded on the door and interrupted the snogging pair. They heard the girl squeal and they both ducked around the corner to watch as the girl ran out of the classroom in a panic, buttoning up her blouse again. Charlie was next, his hair and robes tousled haphazardly, and his shirt untucked. He walked around the halls, looking flustered and disappointed but found nothing. Instead he slumped off towards the Gryffindor common room, defeated.

Next Fred and George ran down the corridor, rounded left to where Filch was scanning the premises. They threw two dung bombs down towards him, and he began to run towards them, screaming maniacally. They used the map to escape him easily. Going left instead of right to avoid McGonagall in her classroom, ducking into a cupboard instead of going into the classroom where Flitwich was restocking stuff for lessons, and finally slinking off back to the common room when the coast was clear.

After their journey through the castle, they slumped back to their dormitory where Lee was waiting for them. They proudly regaled Lee with their tale of how they triumphed over Filch, made off with the parchment and cleverly figured out the incantation to reveal the map (omitting the fact that it took two hours and many insults from the Maurauders) before running off and making good use of it. Lee, both extremely jealous and extremely curious hung on their every word, staring intently at the map.

"The only thing we don't know is how to clear it after your mischief's managed," George said with a sigh.

George's wand, although it was out of his hand and sitting on a table near the map, moved ever so slightly and the parchment wiped clean. Lee looked up, smiling at George.

"I guess you figured it out," Lee said, clapping George on the back.

"Wow," Fred said. He then tapped his wand on the parchment and recited, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The parchment began filling with ink, but before it could completely fill, Fred tapped it again and recited, "Mischief Managed," and the parchment wiped clean.

"Brilliant," all three of the boys said together.

The three boys all sat in squashy chairs in the deserted common room. Only a dim and tiring fire lit the room, but the three trouble-makers were so bright with ideas, schemes and the triumph of endless possibility, that their glee lit the entire room- if not the entire castle. Three pairs of eyes glittered with the forthcoming blitz of opportunity. They passed the map around one another, not even having it showing anything but just to feel it in their young hands.

They all looked over to one another, laughing at seemingly nothing, filled with dreams of years of mischief to come. Although the incantation to wipe the map was "Mischief Managed," the three friends vowed in that moment, that their own mischief would never actually be "managed."


End file.
